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Champions Are Floored by Their Victories

Chang W. Lee/The New York TimesSerena Williams celebrating her victory over Victoria Azarenka in the United States Open women’s final on Sunday.

When Serena Williams fell gracefully on her back in triumph Sunday at Ashe Stadium, she was performing a ritual that has gripped the tennis world for more than 30 years.

The world’s top players, male and female, all descend in triumph and gratitude to the clay, the grass, the hard court. Whatever the surface, a victory swoon seems to be on every champion’s checklist.

By several accounts, the tradition started with Bjorn Borg, the Swedish champion who won the French Open six times and first sank to the clay in 1976.

“I seem to remember that was the first time,” said Steve Flink, a tennis writer and historian. “By 1980, he had it down to a science, and it became a moment that he almost prepared in his mind.”

The practice did not take hold immediately. Neither John McEnroe nor Jimmy Connors nor Pete Sampras adopted it, Flink said. But it has become a staple at the four major international tennis championships.

In 2001, Roger Federer fell to his knees on the grass at Wimbledon and wept upon beating Pete Sampras in an early round. In 2007, Federer bent over in tears, kneeling on the hard court and covering his face with his hands when he won the United States Open. In 2010, Rafael Nadal fell onto his back and lay flat on the red clay when he won the French Open.

“He lets the emotion sink right in,” Flink said, recalling Nadal’s movements. “But I will say this, he tries to get up soon enough to get to the opponent quickly” to shake hands.

In January, Novak Djokovic collapsed onto his back on the hard Plexicushion surface in Melbourne, celebrating a point he had won after an exhausting rally.

A moment later, he won the Australian Open, ripped off his shirt and stormed around the court, bellowing like a gladiator.

In June, Nadal knelt and rocked back on his heels, closing his eyes and turning his face skyward when he won the French Open for the seventh time.

In July, Federer again fell to his knees on the grass in tearful celebration of winning Wimbledon for the seventh time.

In tennis, the victors often sweep themselves off their own feet, choosing to lie down on what seems like the altar of their success.

Sometimes, victors have fallen down, then sprinted to the stands, climbing into boxes to embrace their families and coaches. Kim Clijsters made notable (and hair-raising) climbs at United States Opens.

At Roland Garros in June, Nadal rose from the carpet of clay to lift himself over the railing and step into his family box for hugs.

Victory has become so prized that it now rivals weddings as the platform for tears. The world, it seems, has a fascination with success.

“Winning is the spirit of life,” proclaimed a Bangkok billboard in January, the words floating in English in a sea of soccer players.

To be sure, tennis players are not the only athletes to celebrate with shows of emotion.

Baseball players swarm around a winning pitcher or a home run hitter, soccer players run and slide along the grass on their knees and basketball players cut down nets.

Golfers, on the other hand, seem to keep their feet and their emotions in check.

How will Monday’s winner at the United States Open, Andy Murray or Novak Djokovic, respond to the thrill of victory? Flink will be watching, aware that some players wait too long to congratulate the losers, leaving them waiting at net. Bad manners, he suggested.

This is important. For all his wisdom, Grantland Rice had it wrong. It’s not how you play the game. It’s how you fall to the court when you win one of the four major international tennis championships.

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Journalists from The New York Times and The International Herald Tribune (along with a few dedicated fans) are following the Grand Slam tournaments, on and off the court. They will provide updates, insights, links and analysis while setting the scene from the stands as well as the press room.

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